Publication series

Name

JNCC

Publisher

Unknown Publisher

Abstract

The Wildlife and Pollution contract supports the long-term monitoring programme called the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) which monitors selected pollutants, pesticides and biocides in predatory birds in Britain. The programme was started in the early 1960s and was instrumental in securing the phased withdrawals of the permitted uses of organochlorine (OC) insecticides. It has since provided a measure of the effectiveness of regulatory bans in reducing the exposure of wildlife. The PBMS subsequently expanded to encompass a range of other contaminants and pesticides (specifically polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury (Hg) and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, thereby reflecting contemporary conservation and regulatory concerns. The PBMS is run by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). The other long-term funding stakeholder is the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the yearly results of the PBMS monitoring are reported to the JNCC. The data from the scheme enables the JNCC and Country Agencies to monitor trends, asses risk to wildlife, and advise on the effectiveness of measures to restrict the use and entry into the environment of particular compounds.